The Filmmakers

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Tangled Bank Studios

Tangled Bank Studios is dedicated to the creation of original science documentaries for broadcast, theatrical and digital distribution. Founded in 2012 by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) as an extension of its longstanding science education mission, Tangled Bank aims to convey compelling stories of discovery across all branches of scientific inquiry — from biology to paleontology, cosmology to archeology, physics to earth science.

With the frontiers of knowledge moving forward every day, there has never been a more important time to bring science to global audiences. Tangled Bank's goals include helping viewers grasp even the most difficult scientific concepts by explaining them in clear, accessible terms; creating visually inventive, entertaining films that inspire a sense of wonder about the natural world; and adhering to the highest principles of journalism, including accuracy and balance. Headquartered in Chevy Chase, Md., Tangled Bank partners with producers, broadcasters and distributors around the world.

Michael Rosenfeld

Head of Television and Film

Rosenfeld helped launch Tangled Bank Studios in 2012 and oversees both content and operations for the company. An award-winning producer, writer and television executive, he was previously the president of National Geographic Television. He has overseen films on topics ranging from anthropology to history to volcanology for a number of legendary franchises, including National Geographic Explorer and National Geographic Specials. Among his signature projects was PBS's series Strange Days on Planet Earth, about the web of invisible connections among the globe's life support systems. He's won or led teams that have won hundreds of industry awards, including almost 40 Emmys.

David Elisco

Senior Producer

Elisco serves as Director of Development for Tangled Bank Studios. For more than 20 years he has written and produced award-winning science programs, including the PBS series Shape of Life and Strange Days on Planet Earth. His work is distinguished by rigorous science, imaginative visualization and offbeat story telling.

Windfall Films

Windfall Films has earned an international reputation for innovation in television documentaries. The London-based firm has set the standard for serious programming in the United Kingdom by breathing life into potentially dry and extremely challenging subject matter. One of the U.K.'s leading producers of science and technology programs, it also applies its distinctive style and high standards to a range of other genres, from historical documentaries to fact-based dramas.

By gaining the trust of Nobel Prize-winning scientists and employing innovative animation techniques, Windfall's production teams regularly win awards for their work, including a BAFTA (from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts), three Emmys, seven Royal Television Society awards, and many more. Recently, in addition to producing documentaries, they have been staging live, multiplatform TV events for Channel 4, a public service broadcaster in the U.K., including Foxes Live: Wild in the City and Easter Eggs Live.

David Dugan

Cofounder and Chairman

Dugan founded Windfall Films in 1987 with Oliver Morse and Ian Duncan. He has produced many groundbreaking, award-winning science series for PBS and the U.K.'s Channel 4, including Inside Nature's Giants, an exploration of evolutionary history through the dissection of large animals, and DNA, a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the description of the double helix. He has also produced and executive produced over 20 programs for PBS's NOVA science series, including "Lord of the Ants," a profile of inspirational evolutionary biologist E.O. Wilson. Previously, he worked at WGBH in Boston and in the BBC Science Department in London.

Series and Episode Producers

David Dugan

Series Producer / Producer-Director for Episode 1

Dugan, cofounder of Windfall Films, has produced numerous award-winning science programs for British and U.S. television (see above for more on his career).

Alex Tate

Producer-Director for Episode 2

Tate has been at Windfall Films since 2006 — working on shows about engineering, including Monster Moves; directing the award-winning Inside Nature's Giants series; and helping to pioneer Windfall's live, multiplatform events. He holds a B.Sc. in zoology and an M.Sc. in science communication.

Tom Cook

Producer-Director for Episode 3

Cook joined Windfall Films in 2008 and has worked on several high-profile, challenging one-off documentaries — including the award-winning Dambusters: Building the Bouncing Bomb, which involved recreating a WWII bombing raid in Northern Canada. He also directed Sir Patrick Stewart in the popular science series Animal Superpowers. He holds bachelor's and master's degrees in science.

Jellyfish Pictures

Jellyfish Pictures is an independent visual effects and animation company based in London, England. Founded in 2001, the firm has produced an array of award-winning work for feature films and television — from high-end computer graphics imagery to traditional hand-drawn animations. Among its many high-profile projects are BBC One's Inside the Human Body and the Discovery Channel's Can You Live Forever? series.

Jellyfish has many honors to its credit, including a British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Award and multiple Visual Effects Society (VES) and Royal Television Society (RTS) Awards, as well as numerous nominations, including two Emmys.

Tom Brass

Brass oversaw the creative aspects of Jellyfish's work on Your Inner Fish. An Emmy-nominated animation director, he began his career as a documentary filmmaker and joined Jellyfish in 2009. Since then, he has written, directed and designed animations and graphics for numerous award-winning TV and film projects.

Carmen Perez-Marsa

Perez-Marsa, an experienced visual effects producer, handled the production of Jellyfish's contributions to Your Inner Fish. She joined Jellyfish in 2010 and has worked on some of the firm's most high-profile projects, including Mankind: The Story of All of Us for the History Channel.